


Lullaby for Ray

by PlanetaryMusical



Series: ...and a million reasons to survive [2]
Category: A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23723707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetaryMusical/pseuds/PlanetaryMusical
Summary: If Albert had always loved one thing about living in the West, if only one thing, it had been the sunsets. And meanwhile, life even had added one or two more...
Relationships: Anna Barnes/Albert Stark (Million Ways to Die in the West)
Series: ...and a million reasons to survive [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709638
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Lullaby for Ray

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there,  
> This is my first FF to upload here at all, so I'm a little unsure if I tagged everything right :D
> 
> I'll be adding another work connected to this one soon. It's kind of its second chapter. These two can be seen as one story and will be "readable" without necessarily knowing the other ones following. 
> 
> Yeah, here's the thing, I'm already working on a bigger story that is kind of the "main story" in my personal "million ways" universe. Everything mentioned in the other stories that's part of the main one, I will explain in the notes.  
> Also, if anything is unclear, please let me know. 
> 
> Well, for now, I hope you like my little debut work here :) Stay safe, in the west and anywhere else :D
> 
> PM

If Albert had always loved one thing about living in the West, if only one thing, it had been the sunsets. He was sure, nowhere else in this entire world, the final light hours of the day could be a sight more stunning and beautiful as here in the desert. As long as he could remember, the vastness of the landscape, all bathed in the golden glow of the sinking sun, had never failed to put a peaceful smile on his face after an exhausting day of work and struggling with his fears. And it didn’t fail him now.

Though, this time, sitting on the bench below the open window of the little room, Albert had to admit that the sunset would maybe have to share his full attention. He couldn’t really get himself to loosen his look from his son, safely placed in his arms, his little dark-haired head leaned against Albert’s chest, the tiny hand softly clawing into his father’s shirt as he was slowly dozing off. 

Albert granted himself a moment to dwell on that sight, the smile not leaving his face.  
Ray. Their little ray of sunshine.  
Seven weeks into this world, his son had already proven his name to have more than one meaning.  
From the moment she had known she was pregnant, it had been Anna's wish to name her son Raymond -the protector- in honour of her beloved father who had always tried to protect her until the very end. Albert couldn't have imagined a better name.

He actually would've liked to stay like this forever, sitting here holding his son in his arms, but Albert knew it was time to lay him down to sleep. He placed him on the blanket of the wooden crib he'd built for him and leaned over, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead, whispering. 

"I love you." 

His heart swelled with his own words for it was nothing but the truth. He never thought he'd feel love like this, so strong, so unconditional, so unique. He loved Anna, with all his heart, and he loved his son, but in a different way, a way he couldn't even try to explain, could not grasp, not describe it. He just knew, that for both of them he would move the mountains, would go to the ends of the earth, he would kill and he would die to keep them safe. For they meant the world to him.

He smiled and turned to go, as he heard silent noises from the crib, Ray cooing and opening his eyes again. Albert stretched out his hand, touching his son's cheek.

"Hey, not so sleepy yet, huh?"

Albert slanted his head, as if to read some expectation in Ray's look at him.

"Oh... Wanna have daddy play you a little night tune?"

He smirked, grabbing into the pocket of his vest.

The small silver instrument was shimmering in the fading sunlight. He carried the harmonica with him all day, no matter if there even was the slightest occasion to play it or not, he just had it with him since the day his grandfather gave it to him. He had shown him how to play it. And whenever he did, whenever he even touched it or simply felt its weight in his pocket, it seemed like a little bit of grandpa Joe was around. And so now.

Albert sat down on the bench again and turned the crib towards him, before he started to play. The melody just flew from his lips, a melody never been played before, just created in the moment. For just a second he thought that it sounded oddly familiar, like he had it on his mind before, like a long distant memory- Albert couldn't have told. And it wasn't important. What he played, here and now, right in this moment, was straight from his heart, a tune of love for his son. And it felt good to play it, to have the sound reaching his ears, it felt good to sense the last warmth of the day on his face, it felt good to see his son at ease while listening to the music. He just looked at him and Ray looked back, his lids droopy again with the sun eventually disappearing behind the hill. 

Albert leaned back against the window frame, his eyes still on the sight of his sleeping son as he sighed in deep affection.  
"I love you", he whispered, almost soundless.

"I love you, too."

He winced, but exhaled in relief as he recognised Anna leaning in the doorway. 

"Damnit, you scared me half to death",  
Albert cursed, as silently as possible, got up from the bench and came over to her. 

She bit her tongue to not burst into laughter, though she had to admit she couldn't really blame him for his reaction. Suddenly speaking from out of the dark, just wearing her white underskirt and camisole, her long, blond hair undone, she could've likely been taken for a ghost.

"I'm sorry, honey. But I just didn't dare to disturb that. It was too beautiful."

She came closer, flinging her arms around his neck, her green eyes full of adoration. He couldn't resist but smile back. 

Again it was one of those moments, where Anna wondered if it was all just a dream: being here, free, in the arms of the man she loved with all her heart and who loved her back the same, having their beautiful son sleeping a few steps away from her. It was one of those nights when she almost feared that if she went to bed she might wake up and everything would be gone. And she would be back to the hell that she lived in for years.

But as she felt Albert’s warm lips brushing against hers as he drew her closer, she felt the certainty again that it was alright, it was all real, her life, her love, her son.

She sighed into the kiss, her hands softly stroking through his dark hair.

How lucky she was.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was my first one here, I hope you liked it.
> 
> As I said before, I intend to write and post more stories, a main one where I will have a look at Anna's past, where there will be some more about her father and her life with Clinch. These things are briefly mentioned in here, so I thought I put this information into the end notes. There's more to come, I swear :)


End file.
